By Gabriel Araujo
SAO PAULO, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Newly crowned Formula One world champion Kimi Antonelli paid tribute to his childhood hero Ayrton Senna on Wednesday, saying the late Brazilian's talent and dedication would continue to influence his approach to the sport after becoming the youngest driver to win the title.
The 20-year-old Italian, who clinched the title with a third-place finish in Mexico on Sunday, spent time with members of Senna's family ahead of this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
He also sat in the cockpit of the Brazilian great's 1986 Lotus and visited his grave for the second year in a row.
"Definitely the driver he was, he was incredible," Antonelli told Reuters on the sidelines of a Petronas event in Sao Paulo.
"But as well, his work ethic, his attitude, how dedicated and how much passion he had for the sport. Then the person he was, very empathetic, someone who was trying to give back what he was receiving.
"All these things are the ones that caught my attention when I was a kid and that's why I got inspired by him from such a young age," he added about the Brazilian who died at Imola in 1994.
Antonelli was frequently compared with Senna this season, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff earlier this year cautioning against placing such expectations on the young Italian.
Antonelli said he was still processing an emotional day with Senna's family as well as what happened on and off the track last weekend.
VETTEL MESSAGE, MORE TO COME
The significance of Antonelli's achievement was underlined by a video message from four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel, whose record as youngest champion was broken by the Italian.
The 39-year-old German, who retired in 2022, urged Antonelli to enjoy the moment while reminding him that even if others now looked at him differently, success need not change the way he looked at them.
"The message from Seb was very deep," Antonelli said.
"He says some things that are very true, that definitely my life will change a lot after this, but he also tells me to stay grounded because there's still, at the end of the day, a race to win. So that's a very important and very nice message from him."
As Antonelli reflected on his breakthrough season, he also credited last year’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix with providing the momentum that eventually carried him to the 2026 title.
His second-place finish at Interlagos in 2025, his then-best Formula One result, laid the foundations for his championship-winning year.
"It was my most complete weekend of that year," he said. "I was coming from a very difficult period and the result definitely gave me the confidence that I needed to overcome that moment and try and move forward."
With the championship secured, Antonelli said his ambitions remained unchanged.
"We've done the first big step but there are many more to come," he said. "The goal is to try and win as much as possible, to be very successful for as long as possible... We're going to try to improve and come back even stronger."
(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
